Today included a morning game drive, a picnic in the park, and a cruise on the Chobe River. It was cold (about 45) when we started out and riding in an open vehicle made it seem either colder. I was wearing a shirt, a thermal shirt, a fleece jacket, a nylon jacket and a safari vest, with a knit cap, wool scarf, and gloves and was really thankful for the wool lined poncho provided by the camp. However once the sun came up and we started seeing wildlife, it seemed much warmer. We explored a different part of the Park this morning and saw a herd of Wildebeests (which are also called Gnus). These are odd looking antelopes with a large shaggy head and front half and a slender hind half. I've been told that a group of Gnus is actually called an Implausibility, which is appropriate for such strange looking animals.
When we stopped for our morning coffee, tea, and bush break along the riverbank we saw crocodiles, monitor lizards, Red Lechwe (an impala sized antelope that spends a lot of time in the water), elephants, and then off in the distance a very large animal, lying on the shore
. I zoomed in with my camera and realized it was a hippo out of the water. This was unusual, because hippos have very sensitive skin and normally spend days submerged in water. They go on shore only at at night to graze on grass. As I watched, the hippo decided to re-enter the water and in less than two minutes, it was completely submerged.
After coffee we continued driving, and suddenly Mimi and I saw two tawny shapes in a thicket near the track. We both said "Lions" and the driver stopped and backed up. There were two lions, a female that was in the open and another that was mostly concealed by the brush. We watched for about 5 minutes, until they decided to move further into the bush. As they rose we realized that the other lion was a young male. Our first lion sighting was really exciting, and it was sad to see them go off-road where we could not follow. However, there were more things to see and we continued our drive.
Soon we saw a group of Sables, large antelopes with beautiful horns, many elephants, colorful birds, warthogs, giraffes, impalas, zebras, and more
. Before long we arrived at the picnic area and it was time to stop and eat again. There is never a chance that we will be hungry, since we are fed about every two hours. As we left the vehicles, the guides checked the area and we were warned not to leave the immediate area. After lunch it was back in the vehicles as we continued our drive. There was a group of giraffes at a saltlick. It is amazing to see how these long-legged, long-necked animals who normally graze on high leaves, position themselves to drink or eat from the ground.
We noticed a large number of elephants moving toward the river and followed them to the riverbank. While we watched, different parades moved into the water until there were more than 100. The young ones splashed and and played, while the older ones drank and bathed. As groups entered and left the water, some came very close to our land rovers and everyone was very aware of their size and power. Then it was time to leave and head into the town of Kasane where we would take a 2 1/2 cruise on the Chobe River.
Along the river we saw colorful birds, hippos, elephants, baboons, vervet monkeys, and some striped mongooses. It was a relaxing afternoon, with warm sun and good company.
Game Drives and Boat Rides
Monday, May 30, 2011
Chobe National Park, Botswana
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2025-02-12
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Marianne
2011-06-13
Great to see all of these animals in their natural habitat. It all looks very beautiful even if it is cold as we are experiencing 100 degree days here. See you soon!